Chapter 126 The game

Chapter 126 The game
          ZOE'S POINT OF VIEW 

And the moment I saw who it was.......My eyes widened.

“Seth?” I heard Maya whispered.He was standing on the other side of the room, staring at the spotlight above him as if he couldn't believe his luck.

Then his eyes found mine.For a second, neither of us moved.......The crowd immediately went wild.

“Seth!”

“Let's go!”

“Zoe and Seth!”I covered my face.

“Oh my God.”Maya grabbed my arm.

“Bestie!”

“No.”She laughed.

“Come on!”

“No, Maya.”

“You have to go.”

“I don't want to.”

“You can't refuse now.”Vannessa said 

“I absolutely can.”Maya laughed and pulled me forward.

“Maya!”

“Stop complaining.”

“I am not going!”

“You are.”

“I don't even know what they're going to make us do!”

“That's the fun part.”

“That is exactly why I don't want to go!”She continued dragging me through the crowd while I tried not to trip over my own feet.

Everyone was looking at us.Some people were already laughing.

Others were shouting Seth's name.I could feel my face getting hotter with every step.

When I finally reached the stage, Diego handed me the microphone.

“Look who we have here!”The crowd cheered.I looked at Seth and noticed he was smiling.

“Hi.”

“Don't smile.”

“Why?”

“Because this is your fault.”He laughed.

“How is it my fault?”

“You could have moved when the light stopped on you.”He shook his head.

“And miss this?”I stared at him.

“You're enjoying this.”

“A little.”The crowd laughed.

Diego raised the microphone.

“Okay, everyone!.......... We've got the schools most brilliant girl, Zoe and the urmmm introverted Seth " immediately the crowd screamed.

"So......Here's how the game works.”He explained the rules while Seth and I stood beside each other.

We would be asked questions about one another.The first person to get a certain number of correct answers would win.

But there was another part of the game.If one of us got an answer wrong, we'd have to complete a little challenge chosen by the crowd.....I immediately frowned. Isn't this supposed to be a couples game???

“No.”Diego laughed.

“You haven't even started.”

“I already know I'm going to regret this.”Seth chuckled.

“Don't worry. I'll help you.”I looked at him.

“I don't need your help.”

“Okay.”He smiled.

“I'll just watch you struggle.”I laughed.

“See? You're already annoying me.”The crowd laughed again.

Diego stepped forward.

“First question!”He pointed at me.

“Zoe, what is Seth's favorite food?”I looked at Seth....Why would they ask me that......

He raised his eyebrows......I thought carefully.

“Pizza?”The crowd laughed.Seth shook his head.

“Nope.”I groaned.

“What?”

“You should know this.”

“I don't!”

“You've known me long enough.”

“That doesn't mean I know everything about you!”Diego laughed.

“Wrong answer!”The crowd cheered.....I covered my face.

“What is it?”Seth leaned slightly toward the microphone.

“Chicken and pasta.”I stared at him.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“You've never told me that!”

“You've never asked.”I shook my head.

“Fine.”Diego smiled.

“One challenge.”I immediately became nervous.

The crowd started shouting different suggestions.Diego listened for a moment before laughing.

“Okay. Zoe has to say one nice thing about Seth.”The crowd cheered.....I stared at Diego.

“That's the challenge?”

“Yes.”

“That isn't even bad.”

“Exactly.”I turned toward Seth.He was smiling....He sure is enjoying this......I sighed.

“One nice thing about Seth....…”I thought for a moment.

“He's a gentleman.”The crowd made a loud.

“Awwww.”I immediately looked away.

“Okay, enough.”Seth's smile widened.

“Thank you.”

“Don't get used to it.”Diego laughed.

“Next question!”He turned toward Seth.

“Seth, what is Zoe's favorite subject?”

“Chemistry.”I blinked......The crowd cheered.

“Correct!”I looked at him.Diego continued.

“Next one.”The game went on.

And somehow, Seth kept getting answers right.He knew the little things about me.....He knew what annoyed me.

He knew that I hated being shouted at,He knew that I preferred quiet places.....He even remembered things I'd said weeks ago and completely forgotten.

At one point, Diego asked him what I did whenever I was nervous.......Seth looked at me.

“You start playing with your hair or biting your fingernails”My hand immediately moved away from my hair. And immediately the crowd laughed while I stared at him.

“How do you know that?”

“You're doing it right now.”I looked down and couldn't help laughing too.

“Okay, that's creepy.”Seth smiled.

“You're predictable.”

“I'm not.”

“You are.”

“I'm not.”

“You are.”Diego shook his head.

“Okay, you two. We get it.”The crowd laughed.

I looked away, trying to hide my smile then Diego turned toward me.

The questions continued until eventually, Diego announced the final round.

“Okay!”The crowd became quiet.

“This is the final question.”He looked between us.

“And this one is different.”I swallowed.

“How?”

“You both have to answer.”He handed us each a small board.

“I'm going to ask the same question, and you both have to write your answers.”I looked at Seth.....He smiled.

“This should be interesting.”Diego grinned.

“Ready?”We nodded......He raised the microphone.

“What is the one thing you admire most about the other person?”I froze.

I looked down at my board......The room suddenly seemed quieter.I didn't know what to write so I glanced at Seth.

He was already writing.....I quickly looked down again.

After a few seconds, Diego called time.

“Boards up!”Seth lifted his.I lifted mine and Diego looked at both answers then his eyes widened.The crowd started shouting.

“What did they write?”

“Read it!”

“Come on!”Diego laughed.

“Okay.”He read Seth's answer first.

“Kindness.”The crowd cheered.I looked at Seth.....He simply smiled at me.

Then Diego looked at my answer.

“Zoe wrote…”He paused dramatically.

“His loyalty.”The crowd erupted again and I immediately laughed......Seth looked at me.

“Loyalty?”

“Yes.”He smiled.

“That's nice.”

“It is.”Diego raised his hands.

“And we have a winner!”Everyone cheered.

Seth had won.....I laughed.

“So what does he win?”Diego grinned.

“A prize.”Seth looked confused.

“What prize?”Diego looked toward Carl.

“Give him the birthday-boy prize!”Carl laughed and handed Diego something.

Diego held it up.

“A ridiculous birthday crown.”Everyone burst out laughing.

Seth stared at it.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely not.”The crowd began chanting.

“Crown! Crown! Crown!”Seth sighed.

“You people are terrible.”Diego placed the crown on his head.

The entire room erupted in laughter......I couldn't stop laughing.

Seth looked at me.

“Happy?”

“Very.”

“You're enjoying this too much.”

“You look funny.”He shook his head.

“You're going to pay for this.”I laughed.

“I'm not scared.”For a moment, everything felt easy.

Just me and Seth laughing together then I glanced toward the crowd.And my smile slowly disappeared......Andy was standing there.

He wasn't smiling...He was simply watching us.....Our eyes met and I couldn't read his expression at all.

There was something dark and unreadable in his eyes then his eyebrows pulled together and he frowned deeply.

He simply turned away then he walked out of the room.

I stared after him as my smile disappeared completely.Why had he looked at me like that?

And why did watching him walk away suddenly make me feel so strange?

“Zoe?”Seth's voice pulled me back.I turned toward him.

“Yeah?”

“You okay?”I forced a smile.

“Yeah.”But my eyes drifted back toward the doorway.

Andy was gone and for some reason, I became really disturbed.